Uncharacteristic (?) But Genuine Gushing

Jim Berg is one of my favorite preachers in the world. Of course, there are many preachers I benefit from. “All are yours,” Paul said (1 Cor 3:22)—Piper, Packer, the Puritans—and the Internet has made them all readily available for my benefit. Praise God!

But providentially, I have a pastor. And a long-time Sunday School teacher. And a former Dean at the institution where I work (that’s Berg). These, my top three favorite preachers in the world if anyone’s counting, are God’s special gifts to me and the others who share my providential space in life. These and a very few others are my “fathers” in the faith (1 Cor 4:14–15), men to whom I have and owe special respect.

Thankfully, I don’t have to force myself to give honor to these men. I feel it naturally; their love for God and skill in handling the Word make them worthy of it. I find myself praying that I might by God’s grace be like them (Paul follows up 1 Cor 4:15 with a command to be like him).

P.S. Can you put a P.S. on a blog post? The Internet says I can. So P.S.: all the men whose preaching and teaching I value the most were trained at Bob Jones University. It is not a perfect place, and there are many other good Christian schools, but if you want to be a preacher whose head and heart are both submitted to the Word of God, BJU is a very good choice.

Author: Mark Ward

PhD in NT; theological writer for Faithlife; former high school Bible textbook author for BJU Press; husband; father; ultimate frisbee player; member of the body of Christ.
View all posts by Mark Ward

One thought on “Uncharacteristic (?) But Genuine Gushing”

I tend to read Jim Berg’s books and listen to his sermons from Sermon Audio multiple times–and they continue to impact my thinking and walk with God. No way to quantify the impact his teaching has had in my life. Truly grateful!